Method for natural adapting the outline of footwear made of a deformable material

ABSTRACT

A method for naturally adapting the outline of a footwear sole made of a deformable material is described. A sole with modified profile obtained according to the method and a basic kit for partially carrying out said method are also described.

The present invention relates to the footwear manufacturing field.

As is known to those skilled in the art, during the footwear manufacturing process firstly the sole is produced and then the upper is mounted onto it.

The provision of the soles, however, nearly always constitutes a problem since, owing to the need to manufacture shoes of different types, it is required to provide soles which, for the same length, have a different foot-sole width. This means that it is required to keep a large number of soles in stock.

The main object of the invention is to provide the ability of modifying simply and rapidly the profile—usually the width—of a standard sole of a given length so as to adapt it to the needs arising in a given moment, i.e. a method particularly suited for made-to-measure shoes where, once a length measurement has been determined, the sole may be applied to a different size of foot-sole without having to use soles specifically made to suit the foot size, and avoiding also applying the same sole to a shoe with a different size of right-hand foot and left-hand foot.

To this aim, the present invention proposes a method for naturally modifying the outline of a footwear sole made of a deformable material, characterized in that it comprises:

a first manufacturing step in which at least one suitable opening is formed in the sole to be modified;

a second manufacturing step in which a pair of forces acting along the same direction but in opposite senses are applied to opposite sides of said opening, for example by introducing the foot or a shoe tree into the footwear, so as to cause an elastic deformation thereof and, together therewith, a desired modification of the outline of the entire sole;

and a third manufacturing step during which an insert (4) is applied to the sole, said insert being made so as to completely cover said opening (3) under deformation in order to stabilize the new outline of the sole (10); a sole with a modified outline (10) obtained according to said method; and a basic kit (5) for partially carrying out said method.

Preferably, the method according to the invention includes forming only one opening in the front portion of the sole, i.e. in the portion opposite to the heel, and applying said pair of forces transversely to the longitudinal axis of the sole by introducing the foot or a shoe tree into the footwear, said forces being directed toward the outside of the respective side of the sole so as to cause the desired degree of widening of the latter. Still preferably, the stabilizing insert is applied onto the bottom surface of the sole, i.e. the surface intended to contact the ground.

Furthermore, the present invention includes also the provision of a basic kit comprising a sole of a given length in which a suitable opening has already been formed, and a corresponding stabilizing insert. Thus, this kit allows obtaining the desired sole with a modified outline performing only the second and third manufacturing steps of the method according to the invention. In this way it is possible to perform the first step of the method according to the invention in one location, for example in a shoe factory, and the second and third steps in another location, for example at a shoe manufacturing workshop and in retail outlets.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of a preferred, but non-limiting embodiment thereof, which is provided with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, 1 c and 1 d show schematically a bottom plan view of a footwear sole as subjected to sequential manufacturing steps according to the method of the present invention;

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 2 c show a cross-sectional view, in greater detail, of the sole according to the preceding figures during the same steps of the method according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a slightly perspective view of the component parts of the basic kit according to the present invention; and

FIG. 4, finally, shows a slightly perspective bottom view of a footwear sole modified according to the method of the invention.

FIG. 1 a shows a standard sole whose profile is to be changed with the method according to the invention. Said sole, which is denoted in its entirety by reference numeral 1, is generally made of leather or deformable material as used for the manufacture of soles. The sole 1, which has a known length, comprises a rear portion 101 provided with a heel 2 and, opposite thereto, a front portion 201 with a width D.

In accordance with the first step of the method according to the present invention (see FIG. 1 b), an elongated opening 3 is formed in the front portion 201 of the sole 1, the longitudinal axis thereof substantially coinciding with the longitudinal axis of said sole. Preferably, the width of said opening 3 is such as to leave only a relatively thin strip of sole along the periphery of said opening, except for at the end of the opening 3 directed toward said rear portion 101 provided with the heel 2.

The second step of the method according to the present invention is then performed (see FIG. 1 c), consisting in applying two forces F and F1 to opposite sides L and L1 of said opening, said forces acting along the same direction but in opposite senses, for example by introducing the foot or a shoe tree inside the shoe, so as to cause an elastic deformation thereof and, together therewith, a desired modification of the outline of the entire sole. These forces F and F1 have a common direction transverse to the opening 3, but each of them acts in a sense toward the outside of the respective sole side. The magnitude of said opposite forces F and F1 is such as to cause a movement away from each other of the two sole portions L and L1 by a predetermined amount, thus resulting in the desired degree of widening (D1) of the entire sole and a new configuration thereof.

In order to fix definitively this new outline, it is required to perform the third and final step of the method according to the invention (FIG. 1 d) which includes applying an insert 4 onto the sole at the opening 3 while actively maintaining the stretching forces F and F1, the insert having a width and a configuration such as to cover entirely the opening. In FIG. 1 d, the finished sole with the new outline is denoted in its entirety by reference numeral 10. Preferably, said insert 4 is applied definitively onto the bottom surface of the sole, i.e. the surface intended to come into contact with the ground. The insert 4 may be made either of the same material as the sole, i.e. leather or a similar deformable material, or of a different material.

The means for forming the opening 3, for applying the stretching forces F and F1 and for fixing the insert 4 will be readily apparent to and therefore within the competence of any person skilled in the art of shoe manufacture.

The three steps for carrying out the method according to the present invention are also shown from another viewpoint in FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 2 c, respectively, which also show a particular embodiment of the sole according to the invention. In said embodiment it is contemplated forming an annular step 103 along the opening 3, having a depth and shape such as to accommodate completely the insert 4.

By doing so, it is possible to ensure that the bottom surface of the sole is virtually continuous. The actual opening 3 may be filled in any desired way.

The present invention also aims to provide a basic kit as shown in FIG. 3 and denoted in its entirety by reference numeral 5. This kit 5 comprises a standard sole 1 of a given length which already has the opening 3 formed in its front portion 201, and a corresponding stabilizing and closing insert 4. FIG. 4 shows a modified sole 10 as manufactured using this kit 5 and by performing sequentially the second and third steps of the method according to the invention. In this way it is clear that the method according to the invention can be performed partially in one location and partially in another location, and at different times, with the advantages arising therefrom.

Obviously, the above-mentioned kit may comprise a pair of soles, i.e. a right-hand sole and a left-hand sole, with corresponding inserts.

From the above, it clearly emerges that the present invention proposes a method which is absolutely innovative and simple to be performed, thus potentially revolutionising the management of warehouse stocks with significant savings of invested capital as well as simplification of the procedures.

It is understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described and illustrated above, but may be subject to numerous variations and modifications without departing from the underlying principle of the invention as claimed below. 

1. A method for controllably modifying an the outline of a footwear sole made of a deformable material, the method comprising: forming at least one opening in the footwear sole to be modified; applying a measured pair of forces acting along the same direction but in opposite senses to opposite sides of said at least one opening, to cause an elastic deformation of said at least one opening and a desired modification of the outline of the footwear sole; and applying an insert to the footwear sole, said insert being configured to completely cover said opening under deformation in order to stabilize the modified outline of the sole.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one opening is a single opening in a front portion of the sole, the front portion being a portion opposite to the heel.
 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the forces are applied to opposite sides of said opening in the front portion of the sole, said forces having a common direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the footwear sole.
 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a single force of said forces is directed toward the outside of a respective side of the footwear sole.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said pair of forces are applied by introducing the foot into the footwear.
 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said pair of forces are applied by introducing a shoe tree into the footwear.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said insert is applied onto a bottom surface of the footwear sole, said bottom surface being the surface intended to contact the ground.
 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said insert is made of the same material as the sole.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said insert is made of a material different from that of the sole.
 10. A footwear sole modified according to the method of claim 2, wherein the opening formed in the front portion of the sole has an elongated form in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of said footwear sole.
 11. The footwear sole according to claim 6, further comprising an annular step formed at said opening, said insert being able to be fitted inside said annular step.
 12. The footwear sole according to claim 11, wherein said annular step is formed on a bottom surface of the sole.
 13. A basic for performing the applying and manufacturing steps of the method according to claim 1, comprising a sole in which a suitable opening has already been formed, and a corresponding insert. 